Antiskid operation during degraded operation

ABSTRACT

A braking system may include a controller, a first wheel and a second wheel. The first wheel may be laterally displaced from the second wheel by a first distance. A first wheel speed sensor may be coupled to the first wheel and a second wheel sensor may be coupled to the second wheel. The controller may be configured to determine at least one of a slip ratio, a coefficient of friction, or a braking pressure of the second wheel in response to failure of the first wheel speed sensor. The controller may be configured to calculate a consistency value of the at least one of the slip ratio, the coefficient of friction, or the braking pressure. The controller may be configured to adjust a braking pressure of the first wheel speed sensor based upon the consistency value and the first distance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of, and claims priority to, and thebenefit of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/438,051,entitled “ANTISKID OPERATION DURING DEGRADED OPERATION,” filed on Feb.21, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to braking systems, and, morespecifically, to brake control systems.

BACKGROUND

Aircraft often include one or more landing gear that comprise one ormore wheels. Each wheel may have a brake, which is part of an aircraftbraking system, that is operatively coupled to the wheel to slow thewheel, and hence the aircraft, during, for example, landing or arejected takeoff. Aircraft braking systems may utilize wheel speed datareceived from a wheel speed sensor to control braking. From time totime, a wheel speed sensor could cause an aircraft braking system to bedeprived of such wheel speed data for the wheel experiencing the wheelspeed sensor failure.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods disclosed herein may be useful for controlling thebraking of a wheel that is experiencing wheel speed sensor failure. Abraking system is provided. A braking system may comprise a controller,a first wheel and a second wheel. The first wheel may be laterallydisplaced from the second wheel by a first distance. A first wheel speedsensor may be coupled to the first wheel and a second wheel sensor maybe coupled to the second wheel. The controller may be configured todetermine at least one of a slip ratio, a coefficient of friction, or abraking pressure of the second wheel in response to failure of the firstwheel speed sensor. The controller may be configured to calculate aconsistency value of the at least one of the slip ratio, the coefficientof friction, or the braking pressure. The controller may be configuredto adjust a braking pressure of the first wheel speed sensor based uponthe consistency value and the first distance.

In various embodiments, the controller may be configured to adjust thebraking pressure applied to the first wheel as a proportion of a brakingpressure applied to the second wheel. The first wheel may be separatedfrom the second wheel by a second distance. The second distance mayrepresent that the first wheel is at least one of forward or aft of thesecond wheel. The first wheel may be disposed on a different landinggear than the second wheel. The controller may be configured todetermine at least one of a slip ratio, a coefficient of friction, or abraking pressure of a third wheel. The third wheel may be laterallydisplaced from the first wheel. The consistency value may comprise astandard deviation. The consistency value may be determined using aweighting factor with the at least one of the slip ratio, thecoefficient of friction, or the braking pressure associated with thethird wheel.

A braking system may comprise a controller, a first wheel and a secondwheel. The first wheel may be displaced from the second wheel in atleast one of a forward direction or an aft direction by a seconddistance. A first wheel speed sensor may be coupled to the first wheeland a second wheel sensor may be coupled to the second wheel. Thecontroller may be configured to determine at least one of a slip ratio,a coefficient of friction, or a braking pressure of the second wheel inresponse to failure of the first wheel speed sensor. The controller maybe configured to calculate a consistency value of the at least one ofthe slip ratio, the coefficient of friction, or the braking pressure.The controller may be configured to adjust a braking pressure applied tothe first wheel based upon the consistency value and the seconddistance.

In various embodiments, the controller may be configured to adjust thebraking pressure applied to the first wheel as a proportion of a brakingpressure applied to the second wheel. The first wheel may be disposed ona different landing gear than the second wheel. The controller may beconfigured to determine at least one of a slip ratio, a coefficient offriction, or a braking pressure of a third wheel. The third wheel may belaterally displaced from the first wheel. The consistency value maycomprise a standard deviation. The consistency value may be determinedusing a weighting factor with the at least one of the slip ratio, thecoefficient of friction, or the braking pressure associated with thethird wheel.

A method is also provided. The method may comprise the step ofdetermining, by a controller, at least one of a slip ratio, acoefficient of friction, or a braking pressure of the second wheel inresponse to failure of the first wheel speed sensor coupled to a firstwheel. The first wheel may be laterally displaced from the second wheelby a first distance. The method may comprise the steps of calculating,by the controller, a consistency value of the at least one of the slipratio, the coefficient of friction, or the braking pressure associatedwith the second wheel, and adjusting, by the controller, a brakingpressure applied to the first wheel based upon the consistency value andthe first distance.

In various embodiments, the step of adjusting may comprise adjusting, bythe controller, braking pressure applied to the first wheel as aproportion of a braking pressure applied to the second wheel. The methodmay further comprise the step of adjusting, by the controller, brakingpressure applied to the first wheel based upon a second distance. Thesecond distance may separate the second wheel from the first wheel in atleast one of the forward or aft direction. The method may furthercomprise the step of determining, by the controller, at least one of aslip ratio, a coefficient of friction, or a braking pressure of a thirdwheel. The third wheel may be laterally displaced from the first wheel.The method may further comprise the step of mapping, by the controller,the consistency value to a preliminary amount of braking pressure. Thestep of calculating may further comprise calculating, by the controller,a standard deviation to produce the consistency value. The method mayfurther comprise the step of weighting, by the controller, the at leastone of the slip ratio, the coefficient of friction, or the brakingpressure associated with the third wheel in the calculating theconsistency value.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in variouscombinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise.These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will becomemore apparent in light of the following description and the accompanyingdrawings. It should be understood, however, the following descriptionand drawings are intended to be exemplary in nature and non-limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Amore complete understanding of the present disclosure, however, may bestbe obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims whenconsidered in connection with the figures, wherein like numerals denotelike elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an aircraft in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2A illustrates a landing gear of the aircraft shown in FIG. 1, inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2B illustrates a block diagram of a braking system for theaircraft, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3A illustrates a brake pressure de-rating algorithm according toconsistency of braking pressure at wheel skid, in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIG. 3B illustrates a brake pressure de-rating algorithm according toconsistency of wheel skid ratios, in accordance with variousembodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of aircraft wheel arrangement, inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a relationship between consistency of coefficient offriction of a runway versus percentage of brake pressure application, inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate methods of antiskid operation, inaccordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an aircraft on a runway, in accordance with variousembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

All ranges and ratio limits disclosed herein may be combined. It is tobe understood that unless specifically stated otherwise, references to“a,” “an,” and/or “the” may include one or more than one and thatreference to an item in the singular may also include the item in theplural.

The detailed description of exemplary embodiments herein makes referenceto the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments by way ofillustration. While these exemplary embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice theexemplary embodiments of the disclosure, it should be understood thatother embodiments may be realized and that logical changes andadaptations in design and construction may be made in accordance withthis disclosure and the teachings herein. Thus, the detailed descriptionherein is presented for purposes of illustration only and notlimitation. The steps recited in any of the method or processdescriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarilylimited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singularincludes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than onecomponent or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Also, anyreference to attached, fixed, connected or the like may includepermanent, removable, temporary, partial, full and/or any other possibleattachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (orsimilar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact.

As used herein, “aft” refers to the direction associated with the tail(e.g., the back end) of an aircraft. As used herein, “forward” refers tothe direction associated with the nose (e.g., the front end) of anaircraft, or generally, to the direction of flight or motion.

Systems and methods disclosed herein may be useful for controlling thebraking of a wheel that is experiencing wheel speed sensor failure.Although the embodiments herein are described with reference to brakingsystems used in connection with aircraft, such embodiments are providedfor example only as it is contemplated that the disclosures herein haveapplicability to other vehicles, such as automobiles and/or vehicleswith brakes.

Aircraft may comprise one or more types of aircraft wheel and brakeassemblies.

For example, an aircraft wheel and brake assembly may comprise anon-rotatable wheel support, a wheel mounted to the wheel support forrotation, and a brake disk stack. The brake stack may also havealternating rotor and stator disks mounted with respect to the wheelsupport and wheel for relative axial movement. Each rotor disk may becoupled to the wheel for rotation therewith, and each stator disk may becoupled to the wheel support against rotation. A back plate may belocated at the rear end of the disk stack and a brake head may belocated at the front end. The brake head may house one or more actuatorrams that extend to compress the brake disk stack against the backplate, or the brake disk stack may be compressed by other means. Torqueis taken out by the stator disks through a static torque tube or thelike.

The actuator rams may be electrically operated actuator rams orhydraulically operated actuator rams, although some brakes may usepneumatically operated actuator rams. In brake systems that employ fluidpowered (hydraulic or pneumatic power) actuator rams, the actuator rammay be coupled to a power source via a brake servo valve (BSV) and ashutoff valve (SOV). The SOV effectively functions as a shutoff valve,wherein in a first position (e.g., an armed position), fluid pressure ispermitted to pass through the valve, while in a second position (e.g., adisarmed position) fluid pressure is restricted or prevented frompassing through the valve. During normal braking, the SOV is in thearmed position, thereby permitting the flow of fluid pressure. The BSV,based on braking commands from the pilot (often via an electroniccontroller that may implement, for example, antiskid logic) controls theamount of fluid pressure provided to the actuator ram, and thus, thebraking force applied to the wheel. To prevent or minimize unintentionalbraking (e.g., due to a faulty servo valve) at various times, the SOV isset in the disarmed position, thereby removing or decreasing fluidpressure from the BSV. Since the BSV does not receive sufficient fluidpressure, it cannot provide fluid pressure to the actuator ram, andthus, braking cannot be effected. A brake controller may be configuredto control the SOV and BSV, among other aspects of aircraft braking.

In electronic brakes, a brake controller (or controller) is coupled toone or more electromechanical actuator controllers (EMAC) for a brake,which drives one or more electromechanical brake actuators. The brakecontroller may be in communication with a brake pedal, and thus maycontrol the EMAC in accordance with pilot/copilot braking commands. Invarious aircraft, other means are used to compress a brake disk stack. Abrake controller may comprise a processor and a tangible, non-transitorymemory. The brake controller may comprise one or more logic modules thatimplement brake logic. In various embodiments, the brake controller maycomprise other electrical devices to implement brake logic.

A controller as disclosed herein may include one or more processor. Eachprocessor can be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof. System program instructions and/or controllerinstructions may be loaded onto a tangible, non-transitory,computer-readable medium (also referred to herein as a tangible,non-transitory, memory) having instructions stored thereon that, inresponse to execution by a controller, cause the controller to performvarious operations. The term “non-transitory” is to be understood toremove only propagating transitory signals per se from the claim scopeand does not relinquish rights to all standard computer-readable mediathat are not only propagating transitory signals per se. Stated anotherway, the meaning of the term “non-transitory computer-readable medium”and “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” should beconstrued to exclude only those types of transitory computer-readablemedia which were found in In Re Nuijten to fall outside the scope ofpatentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101.

With reference to FIG. 1, aircraft 100 on runway 102 is shown. Aircraft100 may comprise right landing gear 108 and left landing gear 106. Noselanding gear 104 is located under the nose of aircraft 100 and may notinclude a brake. Aircraft 100 may comprise a controller 110 and pilotcontrols 112. Aircraft 100 may include a plurality of sensors thatdetect aircraft status information, such as an avionics unit or aircraftdata source 116. Aircraft status information may mean any informationrelating to the status of an aircraft, for example, the presence ofweight on wheels, aircraft velocity, aircraft acceleration, wheelposition, wheel velocity, wheel acceleration, air temperature, thepressure applied to the brake stack during braking, global positioningsystem coordinates, aircraft location, aircraft position on a runway, orother aircraft data. An aircraft brake system may have access to variousaircraft status information at any given time.

With reference to FIG. 2A, a landing gear of aircraft 100 having abraking system 200 is shown schematically in a front view, lookingforward to aft, in accordance with various embodiments. Braking system200 may comprise right landing gear 108 and left landing gear 106.Braking system 200 illustrates an example of a set of landing gearhaving four wheels, however, it is further contemplated and understoodthat the system described herein may apply to various configurations oflanding gear and wheels. For example, additional wheel configurationsare shown in FIG. 4. Referring still to FIG. 2A, right landing gear 108may be laterally displaced from left landing gear 106. Right landinggear 108 may comprise a plurality of wheels, such as a right outboardwheel 202 and a right inboard wheel 204. Right outboard wheel 202 may belaterally displaced from right inboard wheel 204. Right outboard wheel202 may comprise a right outboard brake 206, and right inboard wheel 204may comprise a right inboard brake 210. Right outboard brake 206 andright inboard brake 210 may be mounted in a conventional manner to rightoutboard wheel 202 and right inboard wheel 204, respectively, to applyand release braking force or braking pressure on each respective wheel.

Left landing gear 106 may comprise a plurality of wheels, such as a leftoutboard wheel 220 and a left inboard wheel 222. Left outboard wheel 220may be laterally displaced from left inboard wheel 222. Further, leftoutboard wheel 220 and left inboard wheel 222 may be laterally displacedfrom right outboard wheel 202 and right inboard wheel 204. Left outboardwheel 220 may comprise a left outboard brake 224, and left inboard wheel222 may comprise a left inboard brake 228. Left outboard brake 224 andleft inboard brake 228 may be mounted in a conventional manner to leftoutboard wheel 220 and left inboard wheel 222, respectively, to applyand release braking force on each respective wheel.

Each landing gear 106, 108 may comprise a plurality of sensors. Forexample, each brake may include a sensor for detecting a brakingpressure or a braking force applied to the respective wheel. Rightlanding gear 108 may include a right outboard (ROB) wheel sensor 208, aright inboard (RIB) wheel sensor 212, a ROB brake sensor 214 and RIBbrake sensor 216. ROB brake sensor 214 may detect a pressure or a forceapplied to right outboard wheel 202 by right outboard brake 206. RIBbrake sensor 216 may detect a pressure or a force applied to rightinboard wheel 204 by right inboard brake 210. ROB wheel sensor 208 andRIB wheel sensor 212 may be coupled to each respective wheel to measureone or more characteristics of each wheel, such as wheel position, wheelspeed, and/or wheel acceleration, measured in terms of linear or angularposition, linear or angular velocity, linear or angular acceleration, orother measurement unit.

Left landing gear 106 may include a left outboard (LOB) wheel sensor226, a left inboard (LIB) wheel sensor 230, a LOB brake sensor 232 and aLIB brake sensor 234. LOB brake sensor 232 may detect a pressure or aforce applied to left outboard wheel 220 by right outboard brake 224.LIB brake sensor 234 may detect a pressure or a force applied to leftinboard wheel 222 by left inboard brake 228. In various embodiments,brake sensors 214, 216, 232, 234 may detect a pressure applied to therespective wheel by a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator ram. In variousembodiments, brake sensors 214, 216, 232, 234 may be force sensors, suchas a load cell, which may detect a force applied to the respective wheelby an electromechanical actuator. LOB wheel sensor 226 and LIB wheelsensor 230 may be coupled to each respective wheel to measure one ormore characteristics of each wheel, such as wheel position ordisplacement, wheel speed, and/or wheel acceleration, measured in termsof linear or angular position, linear or angular velocity, linear orangular acceleration, or other measurement unit. In various embodiments,wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, 212 may comprise wheel speed sensors thatoutput signals indicative of angular velocity or angular displacement,for example, a Hall effect sensor, variable resistance sensor, or thelike. Wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, or 212 may detect a change in a rateof deceleration of the wheels. In various embodiments, each of wheelsensors 226, 230, 208, 212 may comprise a plurality of sensors, forexample a wheel speed sensor and an accelerometer or other sensor. Thewheel speed data for each wheel may be sent to controller 110 and usedto detect the onset of wheel skidding, to calculate or estimate a slipratio for each wheel, and/or to calculate or estimate a coefficient offriction of a runway surface.

With reference to FIG. 2B, a schematic block diagram of braking system200 is shown in accordance with various embodiments. Braking system 200includes a controller 110 in communication with pilot controls 112 andan antiskid control unit 114. Controller 110 may comprise additionalcontrol modules (such as autobraking control, brake control executive,brake pressure control unit, etc.) for controlling brakes 206, 210, 228,224. Controller 110 may receive input from pilot controls 112, antiskidcontrol unit 114, and/or aircraft data source 116 and may determine anamount of braking pressure or braking force to be applied to the brakedisk stack of each brake 206, 210, 228, 224. Controller 110 may receiveinput from wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, or 212 and from brake sensors214, 216, 232, 234. Controller 110 may use data from the inputs todetermine a reference wheel characteristic for one or more of the wheelsof the braking system 200. A reference wheel characteristic may be aslip ratio of a wheel, a coefficient of friction experienced by a wheel,a braking pressure applied at the time of wheel skid, or other valuecorrelating to the environment or performance associated with the wheel.

Controller 110 and/or antiskid control unit 114 may be in communicationwith wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, and 212. During normal operation,wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, 212 may transmit the wheel speed data 250(i.e., the angular velocity and/or acceleration of the wheel) of eachwheel to controller 110 and/or antiskid control unit 114. Antiskidcontrol unit 114 and controller 110 may further be in communication withan aircraft data source 116. Antiskid control unit 114 may receiveaircraft data from aircraft data source 116, and for example, mayreceive the aircraft velocity 252. Antiskid control unit 114 may alsoreceive wheel speed data from wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, 212. Antiskidcontrol unit 114 may determine if a wheel is skidding based on theaircraft velocity 252, the wheel speed data 250, and/or other inputsfrom aircraft data source 116. A wheel skid may occur in response to thebraking force or braking pressure applied to a wheel exceeding thetraction available to that wheel. In response to a wheel experiencingwheel skid, antiskid control unit 114 and controller 110 may adjust thebraking force or braking pressure of the corresponding brake.

Wheel sensors 226, 230, 208, or 212 may, from time to time, fail.Without wheel speed data 250, antiskid control unit 114 and controller110 may encounter difficulty controlling the brake associated with thefailed wheel sensor, shown in FIG. 2B as RIB wheel sensor 212. Forexample, antiskid functionality may be degraded, autobrake functionalitymay be degraded, and/or overall braking force may be degraded. Invarious embodiments, autobrake functionality refers to a braking controlscheme where a desired deceleration is input to controller 110 andcontroller 110 adjusts braking pressure to achieve the desireddeceleration. Due to the loss of wheel speed data 250, a controller maycease commanding braking pressure to the wheel associated with thefailed sensor. Such ceasing of braking pressure, however, decreases theaircraft braking system's ability to slow the aircraft. This may beproblematic on runways with contaminants such as ice, slush, snow, oil,and other materials that reduce the coefficient of friction of therunway surface.

In various embodiments, braking system 200 is configured to control thebraking of the wheels 202, 204, 220, 222 of aircraft 100, including thewheel associated with the failed sensor. For illustration purposes, RIBwheel sensor 212 of right inboard wheel 204 is shown in FIG. 2B as afailed wheel sensor. Braking system 200 may use information about one ormore reference wheels, such as wheels 202, 220, 222, to determine abraking pressure or braking force to apply to right inboard wheel 204associated with the failed RIB wheel sensor 212. The term referencewheel or wheels may be used to indicate the wheels used to determine abraking pressure to be applied to a wheel having a failed wheel speedsensor. Antiskid control unit 114 may receive wheel speed data 250 fromwheel sensors 226, 230, 208 and may determine when wheels 202, 222, 220experience skidding. Antiskid control unit 114 may not receive wheelspeed data 250 from the failed RIB wheel sensor 212, and thus, may notdetermine when right inboard wheel 204 experiences skidding. Brakingsystem 200 may use the available wheel speed data 250 as well as brakingfeedback data 254 to control right inboard brake 210 while reducing therisk of skidding by right inboard wheel 204. Thus, controller 110determines a reference wheel characteristic of one or more referencewheels to control, in substantially real-time, the braking of the wheelhaving a failed wheel speed sensor. The reference wheel characteristicmay include a braking pressure applied to the reference wheel at thetime of wheel skid.

Controller 110 may receive wheel skid information 256 from antiskidcontrol unit 114 as well as braking feedback data 254 from brake sensors214, 216, 232, 234. Wheel skid information 256 may include the time atwhich a wheel skid event occurred. Wheel skid information 256 mayinclude wheel speed data 250 and/or data from aircraft data source 116.Braking feedback data 254 may include the pressure or force applied to abrake 206, 210, 228, 224. Controller 110 may determine the brakingpressure or braking force at which a wheel experiencing skidding basedon the braking feedback data 254 and the wheel skid information 256.Controller 110 may gather data for the skid events of wheels 202, 222,220 into a sample.

With reference to FIG. 3A, a graph is shown having consistency values(i.e., consistency of a sample of braking pressure of wheels 202, 222,220) on the y axis and the time of each wheel skid event on the x axis.Controller 110 may gather the braking pressure at the time of wheelskidding for wheels 202, 222, 220 and may determine a consistency valuebased upon the braking pressures in the sample. A consistency value maybe any measure to show how different the braking pressures are from oneanother during the wheel skid events. Stated another way, theconsistency value indicates the shape of the distribution of brakingpressures during skid events. In various embodiments, the consistencyvalue comprises the standard deviation of the braking pressures in thesample. Higher standard deviations reflect less consistency than smallerstandard deviations. The more consistent the braking pressures are amongthe skid events sampled, the greater confidence there is to command abraking pressure to right inboard wheel 204 that is similar to thebraking pressure applied to the reference wheel(s) without causing rightinboard wheel 204 to skid. Inconsistent braking pressures may indicate arunway surface of varying coefficients of friction, and thus the lessconfidence there is to command a similar braking pressure to rightinboard wheel 204 having the failed wheel sensor, as skidding becomes aconcern.

With reference to FIG. 3B, a graph is shown having consistency values(i.e., consistency of a sample of slips ratios for wheels 202, 222, 220)on the y axis and the time of each sample on the x axis. The referencewheel characteristic may include a slip ratio of the reference wheel(s).Slip ratio as used herein may refer to an expression of the lockingstatus of a wheel, which may be calculated as the difference between theaircraft speed and the wheel speed, divided by the aircraft speed.Controller 110 may receive aircraft data from aircraft data source 116and/or antiskid control unit 114, and for example, may receive theaircraft velocity 252. Controller 110 may also receive wheel speed datafrom wheel sensors 226, 230, 208. Controller 110 may determine a slipratio for one or more reference wheels, such as wheels 202, 222, 220.Controller 110 may determine a consistency value based upon the slipratios in the sample. A consistency value may be any measure to show howdifferent the slip ratios are from one another, and for example, may bethe standard deviation of the slip ratios in the sample. Higher standarddeviations reflect less consistency than smaller standard deviations.The more consistent the braking pressures are among the skid eventssampled, the greater confidence there is to command a braking pressureto right inboard wheel 204 that is similar to the braking pressureapplied to the reference wheel(s) without causing right inboard wheel204 to skid. Inconsistent braking pressures may indicate a runwaysurface of varying coefficients of friction, and thus the lessconfidence there is to command a similar braking pressure to rightinboard wheel 204 having the failed wheel sensor, as skidding becomes aconcern.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, controller 110 may determine a preliminaryamount of braking pressure to be applied to right inboard wheel 204,based on the consistency value of the reference wheel characteristic,such as a braking pressure at skid or a slip ratio. Controller 110 maycommand a braking pressure to right inboard brake 210 based at least inpart on the consistency value. The de-rating line illustratespreliminary amount of braking pressure to be commanded to right inboardbrake 210. The preliminary amount of braking pressure may be furtheradjusted as discussed with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. For a higherconsistency value, the preliminary amount of braking pressure is similarto the braking pressure of the reference wheels. For a lower consistencyvalue, the preliminary amount of braking pressure is reduced relative tothe braking pressure of the reference wheels. Thus, the differencebetween the preliminary amount of braking pressure and the brakingpressure of the reference wheels is greater at low consistency valuesthan at higher consistency values. In this manner, the antiskidfunctionality, which controller 110 performs for wheels havingfunctioning wheel speed sensors, acts as a guide to determine how muchto “de-rate” or reduce the braking pressure applied to the wheel havinga failed wheel speed sensor.

In various embodiments and with reference to FIG. 5, the reference wheelcharacteristic may include a coefficient of friction experienced by thereference wheel(s). The coefficient of friction experienced by anotherwheel (e.g. a reference wheel or wheels) on the aircraft may becalculated or estimated over time to determine the consistency (i.e.,produce a consistency value) of the coefficients of friction. The moreconsistent the coefficients of friction are among the coefficients offriction sampled, the greater confidence there is to command a brakingpressure to the wheel having the failed wheel sensor that is similar tothe braking pressure applied to the reference wheel(s). Inconsistentcoefficients of friction indicate a runway surface of varyingcoefficients of friction, and thus the less confidence there is tocommand a similar braking pressure to the wheel having the failed wheelsensor, as skidding becomes a concern.

Moreover, the displacement of the reference wheel from the wheel havinga failed wheel sensor affects the consistency value. For example, if thereference wheel is laterally displaced from the wheel having a failedwheel sensor by a small distance, it is likely that the reference wheelbehaves similarly to the wheel having a failed wheel sensor. However,that likelihood decreases as the lateral distance increases. Inaddition, displacement in a forward/aft direction may indicate that thereference wheel and the wheel having a failed wheel sensor may encountersimilar coefficients of friction, or may skid at a similar brakingpressure, though offset for the lead or lag time of the reference wheelagainst the wheel having a failed wheel sensor.

With reference to FIG. 7, aircraft 100 is illustrated on runway 50during landing. Patch 56 represents ice. Patch 54 represents a mixtureof ice and snow. Patch 52 represents spilled lubricant, such as oil.Forward direction 68 is shown 180 degrees opposite aft direction 66.Starboard direction 62 is shown 180 degrees opposite port direction 64,though displacement in the starboard direction 62 and/or port direction64 may be referred to herein as lateral displacement. The remainder ofrunway 50 may be relatively dry. As aircraft 100 progresses acrossrunway 50, one or more wheels of aircraft 100 encounters dry runway 50along with patches 52, 54 and 56. In that regard, each wheel of aircraft100 may experience different coefficients of friction (i.e.,coefficients of kinetic friction) depending upon the surfaceencountered.

In various embodiments, controller 110 may calculate a slip ratio and/ora coefficient of friction experienced by a given reference wheel (e.g.,right outboard wheel 202, left outboard wheel 220, and left inboardwheel 222) at regular intervals. For example, controller 110 maycalculate a slip ratio and/or a coefficient of friction for eachreference wheel of aircraft 100 at intervals of from 0.1 Hertz (Hz) to100 Hz, from 1 Hz to 50 Hz, and from 6 Hz to 15 Hz. Each slip ratioand/or coefficient of friction calculated for each reference wheel maybe stored by controller 110 and accessed at a desired time. In variousembodiments, the brake pressure applied to the wheel having a failedwheel speed sensor may be adjusted in substantially real time based onthe reference wheel characteristic determined by controller 110.

Controller 110 may gather the coefficients of friction into a sample anddetermine a consistency value based upon the coefficients of friction inthe sample. A consistency value may be any measure to show how differentthe coefficients of friction are from one another. Stated another way,the consistency value indicates the shape of the distribution ofcoefficients of friction. In various embodiments, the consistency valuecomprises the standard deviation of the coefficients of friction in thesample. Higher standard deviations reflect less consistency than smallerstandard deviations. Controller 110 may command braking pressure to oneor more wheels of aircraft 100. Controller 110 may command brakingpressure from 0% of the brake's potential pressure to 100% of thebrake's potential pressure.

With reference to FIG. 4, different aircraft are shown having differentnumbers of wheels. Aircraft 300 is shown having wheel 301 laterallydisplaced from wheel 302 by a distance of x. Aircraft 310 is shownhaving wheel 311 and wheel 312 laterally displaced from wheel 314 andwheel 315. Wheel 311 is laterally displaced from wheel 312 by a distanceof y. Aircraft 320 is shown having wheel 331 and wheel 332 laterallydisplaced from wheel 335 and wheel 336. Aircraft 320 also compriseswheel 333 and wheel 334 laterally displaced from wheel 337 and wheel338. Wheel 331 is displaced in a forward/aft direction from wheel 333 bya distance of d and wheel 331 is laterally displaced from wheel 333 by adistance z, where z=0. It is noted that distance traveled by wheel 331,represented by D, may be derived if the linear velocity and time periodis known for wheel 331, according to the equation D=vt. Travel distanceD and/or forward/aft displacement distance d may be used to determinewhen wheel 333 will encounter the runway surface encountered by wheel331. As discussed herein, the term reference wheel or wheels may be usedto indicate the wheels used to determine the braking pressure to beapplied to a wheel having a failed wheel speed sensor. In this manner,the antiskid functionality, which controller 110 performs for wheelshaving functioning wheel speed sensors, acts as a guide to determine howmuch to “de-rate” or reduce the braking pressure applied to the wheelhaving a failed wheel speed sensor. The braking pressure may be adjustedbased on travel distance D and/or forward/aft displacement distance dbetween the wheels. For example, controller 110 may de-rate the brakingpressure more where forward/aft displacement d is greater. By de-ratingthe braking pressure to the wheel having the failed wheel speed sensor,the wheel having the failed wheel speed sensor is less likely to skid.

With reference to FIG. 5, a graph is shown having consistency values(i.e., consistency of a sample of coefficients of friction μ_(x) ofwheels) on the y axis and percentage of a brake's potential pressure asapplied to the reference wheel(s) on the x axis. As μ_(x) becomes lessconsistent, the de-rating line illustrates the correction factor to beapplied to the braking pressure of the reference wheel to yield abraking pressure to be applied to the wheel having a failed wheel speedsensor. Stated another way, the de-rating line may indicate that at 50%of maximum braking pressure for the reference wheel and moderateconsistency values of coefficients of friction, 50% of the brakingpressure applied to the reference wheel is to be applied to the wheelhaving a failed wheel speed sensor. The de-rating line thus creates apreliminary amount of braking pressure to be commanded.

However, as discussed above, because the lateral and/or forward/aftdistance between the reference wheel and the wheel having a failed wheelspeed sensor influences the confidence level of determining theconditions of the wheel having a failed wheel speed sensor, thede-rating may be adjusted, or offset, by such values. For example, withreference to FIGS. 4 and 5, wheel 331 may experience a failed wheelspeed sensor and wheel 338 may act as a reference wheel. A controllermay calculate coefficients of friction of wheel 338 and determine aconsistency value of such samples.

Controller 110 may further account for both a lateral displacementdistance x and a forward/aft displacement distance d between wheel 338and wheel 331. To account for forward/aft displacement distance d, thebraking pressure to be applied to wheel 331 may be reduced from thepreliminary amount based on the consistency value, as shown in FIG. 5.Thus, if the de-rating line indicates that wheel 331 should receive 50%of the braking pressure applied to wheel 338, adjusting to account forthe distance d may yield, for example, that wheel 331 should receive 45%of the braking pressure applied to wheel 338. To account for lateraldisplacement distance x, the braking pressure to be applied to wheel 331may be further reduced, as shown in FIG. 5. Adjusting to account for thedistance x may yield, for example, that wheel 331 should receive 35% ofthe braking pressure applied to wheel 338. With momentary reference toFIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, the preliminary amount of braking pressure tobe applied by right inboard brake 210 (shown by de-rating line in FIGS.3A and 3B) may be similarly adjusted to account for the lateral distanceand/or forward/aft distance between right inboard wheel 204 and thereference wheel(s).

In various embodiments, the forward/aft displacement distance d or alateral displacement distance x may be zero. For example, with referenceto FIGS. 4 and 5, wheel 301 may experience a failed wheel speed sensorand wheel 302 may act as a reference wheel. A forward/aft displacementdistance d between wheel 301 and wheel 302 may be zero. A controller maycalculate coefficients of friction of wheel 302 and determine aconsistency value of such samples. To account for lateral displacementdistance x, the braking pressure to be applied to wheel 301 may bereduced. Thus, if the de-rating line indicates that wheel 301 shouldreceive 50% of the braking pressure applied to wheel 302, adjusting toaccount for the distance x may yield, for example, that wheel 301 shouldreceive 40% of the braking pressure applied to wheel 302.

In various embodiments, wheel 331 may experience a failed wheel speedsensor and wheel 333 may act as a reference wheel. A lateraldisplacement distance z between wheel 301 and wheel 302 may be zero. Acontroller may calculate coefficients of friction of wheel 333 anddetermine a consistency value of such samples. To account forforward/aft displacement distance d, the braking pressure to be appliedto wheel 331 may be reduced. Thus, if the de-rating line indicates thatwheel 331 should receive 50% of the braking pressure applied to wheel333, adjusting to account for the distance d may yield, for example,that wheel 331 should receive 45% of the braking pressure applied towheel 333.

Where multiple wheels are used as reference wheels, a weighting factormay be used to weight the coefficients of friction depending upon thelateral displacement and/or forward/aft displacement of each referencewheel and the wheel experiencing the failed wheel speed sensor. Theweighting factor may weight the values produced by a reference wheelclosest to the wheel experiencing the failed wheel speed sensor moreheavily than reference wheels that are a greater distance from the wheelexperiencing the failed wheel speed sensor. Use of a weighting factorallows controller 110 to better estimate the coefficient of frictionactually experienced by the wheel experiencing the failed wheel speedsensor.

With reference to FIG. 6A, a method 400 of an antiskid operation isillustrated, in accordance with various embodiments. Controller 110 maydetermine that a wheel speed sensor has failed in Step 402. In Step 404,controller 110 may determine a reference wheel characteristic associatedwith a second wheel. Controller 110 may receive inputs from pilotcontrols 112, antiskid control unit 114, aircraft data source 116, oneor more brake sensors, and/or one or more wheels sensors associated withthe second wheel, which acts as a reference wheel. Controller 110 mayuse data from the inputs to determine a reference wheel characteristicfor one or more of reference wheels of the braking system 200. Forexample, a reference wheel characteristic may be a slip ratio of thesecond wheel, a coefficient of friction experienced by the second wheel,a braking pressure applied to the second wheel at the time of wheelskid, or other value correlating to the environment or performanceassociated with the second wheel. Where more than one reference wheel isused, one or more weighting factors may be used to weight the referencewheel characteristic.

In Step 406, a consistency value may be calculated by controller 110.The consistency value may be the consistency of the reference wheelcharacteristic for the second wheel, or for one or more referencewheels. The consistency value, as discussed above, may comprise astandard deviation value. From the consistency value, the controller 110may use a map, lookup table, or other data structure to determine apreliminary amount to de-rate the braking pressure commanded at thewheel having the wheel speed sensor failure.

In Step 408, controller 110 may adjust a braking pressure applied to thefirst wheel based upon the consistency value.

In Step 410, controller 110 may command a brake associated with thewheel having the failed wheel speed sensor. The controller 110 maycommand the adjusted braking pressure to the brake associated with thewheel having the failed wheel speed sensor. Thus, the adjusted brakingpressure applied to the first wheel may be based on a reference wheelcharacteristic of the second wheel, and more specifically, based on aconsistency value of the reference wheel characteristic of the secondwheel.

With reference to FIG. 6B, along with FIGS. 4 and 5, a method 500 of anantiskid operation is illustrated. Controller 110 may determine that awheel speed sensor has failed in Step 502. Controller 110 may receivingat least two coefficients of friction associated with a second wheel inresponse to failure of a first wheel speed sensor coupled to a firstwheel. The first wheel may be laterally displaced from the second wheelby a lateral distance and/or forward/aft distance.

In Step 504, controller 110 may calculate coefficients of friction fromone or more reference wheels, such as the second wheel, to form a sampleset of coefficients of friction. Where more than one reference wheel isused, one or more weighting factors may be used to weight thecoefficients of friction. Also in Step 504, a consistency value may becalculated by controller 110. The consistency value may be theconsistency of the coefficients of friction associated with one or morereference wheels. The consistency value, as discussed above, maycomprise a standard deviation value. From the consistency value, thecontroller 110 may use a map, lookup table, or other data structure todetermine a preliminary amount to de-rate the braking pressure commandedat the wheel having the wheel speed sensor failure. Controller 110 mayadjust a braking pressure applied to the first wheel based upon theconsistency value, and may adjust the braking pressure as a proportionof a braking pressure applied to the second wheel.

In Step 508, controller 110 adjusts the preliminary amount to accountfor lateral distance. In that regard, the larger the lateral distance,the more reduction in braking pressure will be commanded.

In Step 510, controller 110 adjusts the preliminary amount to accountfor forward/aft distance. In that regard, the larger the forward/aftdistance, the more reduction in braking pressure will be commanded.

In Step 512, controller commands a brake associated with the wheelhaving the failed wheel speed sensor. The controller 110 may command theadjusted braking pressure to the brake associated with the wheel havingthe failed wheel speed sensor.

With reference to FIG. 6C, along with FIGS. 2B and 3A, a method 600 ofan antiskid operation is illustrated. Controller 110 may determine thata wheel speed sensor has failed in Step 602. In Step 604, controller 110may receiving a braking pressure for at least two wheel skid events fora second wheel in response to failure of a first wheel speed sensorcoupled to a first wheel. The first wheel may be laterally displacedfrom the second wheel by a lateral distance and/or forward/aft distance.

In Step 604, controller 110 may determine a braking pressure associatedwith the wheel skid events from one or more brake sensors, such as abrake sensor of the second wheel, to form a sample set of brakingpressures. Where more than one reference wheel is used, one or moreweighting factors may be used to weight the braking pressures.

In Step 606, a consistency value may be calculated by controller 110.The consistency value may be the consistency of the braking pressuresassociated with one or more reference wheels. The consistency value, asdiscussed above, may comprise a standard deviation value. From theconsistency value, the controller 110 may use a map, lookup table, orother data structure to determine a preliminary amount to de-rate thebraking pressure commanded at the wheel having the wheel speed sensorfailure.

In Step 608, controller 110 may determine a lateral distance and/or aforward/aft distance between the reference wheel(s) and the wheel havingthe failed wheel speed sensor.

In Step 610, controller 110 may adjust a braking pressure applied to thefirst wheel based upon the consistency value, and may adjust the brakingpressure as a proportion of a braking pressure applied to the secondwheel. In step 610, controller 110 may adjust the preliminary amount toaccount for lateral distance. In that regard, the larger the lateraldistance, the more reduction in braking pressure will be commanded. InStep 610, controller 110 may adjust the preliminary amount to accountfor forward/aft distance. In that regard, the larger the forward/aftdistance, the more reduction in braking pressure will be commanded.

In Step 612, controller commands a brake associated with the wheelhaving the failed wheel speed sensor. The controller 110 may command theadjusted braking pressure to the brake associated with the wheel havingthe failed wheel speed sensor.

Benefits and other advantages have been described herein with regard tospecific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in thevarious figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplaryfunctional relationships and/or physical couplings between the variouselements. It should be noted that many alternative or additionalfunctional relationships or physical connections may be present in apractical system. However, the benefits, advantages, and any elementsthat may cause any benefit or advantage to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure isaccordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, inwhich reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean“one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one ormore.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C”is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted tomean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may bepresent in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, orthat any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in asingle embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and Band C.

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided herein. In the detaileddescription herein, references to “various embodiments”, “oneembodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicatethat the embodiment described may include a particular feature,structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarilyinclude the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover,such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic isdescribed in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it iswithin the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature,structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodimentswhether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, itwill be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implementthe disclosure in alternative embodiments.

Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the presentdisclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless ofwhether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited inthe claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under theprovisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f), unless the element is expressly recitedusing the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises”,“comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover anon-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus.

What is claimed is:
 1. A braking system comprising: a controller; afirst wheel and a second wheel, the first wheel displaced from thesecond wheel in at least one of a forward direction or an aft directionby a second distance; a first wheel speed sensor coupled to the firstwheel and a second wheel sensor coupled to the second wheel; wherein thecontroller is configured to determine at least one of a slip ratio, acoefficient of friction, or a braking pressure of the second wheel inresponse to failure of the first wheel speed sensor; wherein thecontroller is configured to calculate a consistency value of the atleast one of the slip ratio, the coefficient of friction, or the brakingpressure; wherein the controller is configured to adjust a brakingpressure applied to the first wheel based upon the consistency value andthe second distance.
 2. The braking system of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is configured to adjust the braking pressure applied to thefirst wheel as a proportion of the braking pressure applied to thesecond wheel.
 3. The braking system of claim 1, wherein the first wheelis disposed on a different landing gear than the second wheel.
 4. Thebraking system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured todetermine at least one of a slip ratio, a coefficient of friction, or abraking pressure of a third wheel, the third wheel being laterallydisplaced from the first wheel.
 5. The braking system of claim 1,wherein the consistency value comprises a standard deviation.
 6. Thebraking system of claim 4, wherein the consistency value is determinedusing a weighting factor with the at least one of the slip ratio, thecoefficient of friction, or the braking pressure associated with thethird wheel.